1760s - Mandans at peak of power

Painting by George Catlin

By now, the Mandan population in
the nine villages surrounding the confluence of the Heart River
with the Missouri has reached 15,000. The Mandan's prosperity
results from their success with horticulure and their skill at
trading. Indian trade routes criss-crossing the continent
converge at the Heart River where the Mandan Villages became the
most important trading center on the central plains.